Ghost Town
by JonathonO'Malley
Summary: "Can you smell it?" "Smell what?" "The dead". Daryl and Beth, along with a group they joined are travelling to Terminus. Useless at summaries, please read :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi well, I changed Daryl's age in this to a closer age to Beth but not too close as too ruin the whole badass vibe he has. Please review or PM me with constructive criticism or just a lovely compliment to make my day! Thanks **

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead. **

Daryl admired Beth's optimism. Although they did have different views on the subject, he didn't diminish her hope. She believed there were good people left in the world, but Daryl couldn't help but think the good people were now trying to tear them apart. He told her that only bad people survived, because they were willing to do everything to survive but he quickly corrected himself when he saw her teary eyes. He could still hear her small voice whisper, "Am I a bad person?", he regretted what he'd said and reassured her that as long as he was around she wouldn't have to hurt anyone for survival. He'd felt a unfamiliar feeling in his stomach that immediately lifted his spirits when she'd smiled and thanked him quietly.

Their conversation had haunted him for days after, keeping him awake at night. In his experience, the small ones never lasted long. Beth was too innocent and kind-hearted to do what was necessary in a situation, she'd could hardly hurt a fly let alone a live person. If he didn't protect her she'd be dead soon, and the thought of it made his stomach drop. He owed it to Herschel to keep his baby girl alive, but he promised Beth she wouldn't have to change.

He'd decided to train Beth, to hunt and to kill. So if she ended up on her own somehow she'd know the basics and hopefully she'd find some of those good people she believed in, to give her a home and a family.

"Daryl, I don't wanna hurt nobody", Beth sat, cross-legged at the kitchen table munching on stale coco pops. Daryl leaned against the wall across from her, nibbling on a cracker coated with the remnants of raspberry jam that they'd found in the cupboard along with several bottles of cola, stale biscuits and various out of date foods. Daryl had found a snack box of pop tarts and planned to surprise Beth with them after their hunting Gerp.

"I know but ya gotta learn somethin' if ya ever end up by y'self", Beth sent Daryl a worried glance before finishing her breakfast. She nodded firmly at Daryl, sliding her chef's knife they'd found discarded a while back, into her belt. Daryl picked up his crossbow from where he'd left it on the kitchen counter, following Beth into the hallway where she'd begun to unlock the door.

"There's a stray lyin' up against one of the grave stones but other than that it's safe", Beth looked to Daryl for confirmation that it was safe to go out, he nodded and they both ducked under the strung up cans that provided them with a minor alarm system. The walker Beth had mentioned was still laying still against the grave stone as they approached it.

It wasn't until they were right beside it did they notice the skull was caved in with a weapon of sorts. What unnerved Beth was the way the walker was positioned. It sat up straight against the stone with it's belly torn open, several organs Beth would've considered fatal to have, we're scattered around its carcass and the stomach in particular was ripped open, showing all the walkers recent meals in full detail. Beth stared at the walker, she presumed it had been a man but it was unidentifiable now, his hands were in the position as if he were praying. She couldn't help but heave up her breakfast as Daryl rubbed her back, somewhat awkwardly yet soothing.

While Beth had been studying the dead walker Daryl was staring at the headstone across from them, whoever had ripped open the walker used the black, oily blood to write a message on the stone. He shook his head and maneuvered himself so that Beth wouldn't have to see it. It worried him that a live person had been here recently and done this. They must've seen the candle light through the curtains, or at least have noticed the alarms.

Beth stumbled slightly but with Daryl's assistance she managed to stand straight and calm down. Daryl put his hand gently on her lower back, pushing her away from the carnage. She burst into a sGerde, heading towards the woods confidently. Daryl jogged to catch up with her and stepped in front.

"Don' go gettin' ahead of yerself. We don' know these woods so ya gotta go slow, walkin' more on yer toes than yer heel", Beth processed the information and did as he advised, she was unsteady on her toes for a few minutes but once she gained her balance Daryl led her into the woods, crossbow ready.

The leaves made odd sounds underneath her feet and Beth cringed at the disgusting noises but they couldn't get any walkers, or anything at all really. "D'you hear tha'?", Daryl pushed Beth behind him, standing tall and glancing around him cautiously. Beth didn't understand what he was doing. Slowly, but steadily he tiptoed through the trees stealthily, grinning to himself.

"I don't hear anythin' ", Daryl shushed her, pulling her in front of him and holding her tightly. Beth blushed a bright red colour at the close proximity of her and Daryl, she'd never been so close to him before and she could feel her stomach flutter, and her palms begin to sweat. Daryl's rough stubble brushed against her neck when he pointed through the trees at something Beth couldn't see, all she could concentrate on was how warm his body was and how ticklish her neck now felt.

"Ya gotta use all yer senses. Not jus' sight, listen hard and you'll hear it", Beth bit her lip, closing her eyes she focused on listening to her surroundings. She could hear Daryl's breathing, the wind blowing through branches and leaves. Sighing to herself, Beth tried to listen harder and almost gave up until she heard a twig snap and the whisper of something eating grass. She beamed up at Daryl who gave her a small smirk, so small she thought she might've imagined it.

She gazed around the tree trunk and saw the doe chewing grass in the clearing. Daryl handed her his crossbow and aimed it directly at the deer's head, going for a clean shot. Beth struggled to hold the heavy bow but Daryl's arms directed her and whispered the count of three in her ear before putting pressure on her finger, making her press it firmly and she watched in fascination as the arrow penetrated the deer's skull, killing the animal instantly. Daryl grinned in satisfaction at the success before jogging over pull the arrow from it's head.

Just as Daryl had managed to yank the arrow from it's position just above the left eye socket, they both heard a shaky, male voice call out to them, "Leave the deer, we'll let you go without a scratch", Beth glanced all around her and eventually her eyes nested on two dark figures that were watching them curiously from the midst of trees and shrubbery. Daryl smirked inwardly at Beth's nervous look, he could easily handle two people even with his crossbow across the clearing, next to Beth. The stood straight, arrow in hand and stared right at the two shadows, unwilling to show their faces.

"Come out then", Daryl's rough, intimidating voice provoked one of the two to step out into the clearing. A boy, around 20 or 21 even, pointed a gun at Daryl's head threatening him. Beth's almost inaudible gasp managed to reach Daryl's ears and he glanced at her reassuringly. "Who're ye?", The boy kept the gun trained on Daryl, but he glanced at Beth several times and his tough guy facade flickered.

"Not important now is it? I'm the one with the gun, you'll do the talking", Daryl grunted, how horribly cliche. He watched as the other person, a woman, stepped out from behind the trees and placed her hand on the boy's shoulder gently. She whispered a few words into his ear, that neither Beth nor Daryl could make out clearly and the boy lowered his weapon. "Who're you's?", The boy looked over to Beth for the answer, and she could see the worry in his eyes.

"I'm Beth, that's Daryl. We don' mean any harm, we're jus' hungry", Beth's eyes darted between the two, searching for any sign that they might let them live. The boy drew his gun again, aiming at Beth and faced Daryl for answers.

"You shoot 'er and I'll stick yer gun so far up yer ass tha' it'll damage your God damn brain", Daryl growled menacingly at the boy, snapping his teeth viciously. The boy, who had yet to introduce himself grinned, tucking his gun into the belt of his jeans. Beth visibly sighed in relief, as the boy approached Daryl with his hand extended.

"I'm Gavin Boyle, that's my sister Becky. You's got a camp 'round here?", Daryl glared at the hand until Gavin shrugged him off and put it in his hoodie pocket. Beth briskly walked over, dragging Daryl's crossbow with her and stood next to him to face Gavin. Becky was keeping her distance from the trio, observing Daryl warily.

"Small house, not too far from 'ere",

"You got others, people I mean?", Gavin glanced at Beth through his over grown hair, then Daryl. He appeared nervous, but relieved that they had a set-up.

"No, it's just the two of us. Do you have any others?", Beth half smiled at Gavin, who merely shook his head. Becky stepped up beside him, taking his hand in her own. The two seemed trust worthy enough, if you overlooked the gun pointing anyway. "You can stay awhile if you'd like, we can cook up this deer and talk", Gavin smiled genuinely at the idea, showing his approval by grabbing the doe's legs and waiting for Daryl grab it's head so they could lift it to the house.

Beth, and Becky walked ahead slightly, out of the boy's hearing range anyway. "How does your settlement work?", Becky was a quietly spoken girl, most of her words barely a whisper but Beth could hear her perfectly. For a minute Beth was confused, but she realised soon enough after that Becky and Gavin didn't understand their situation. They could think they were father and daughter, brother and sister, a couple or just two people who found each other and stuck together.

"We had a much bigger group, me an' Daryl were separated from 'em few moths ago and we've been try'na find 'em ever since", Before Becky could reply, Beth heard a loud, snarl from above them. The two girls glanced up and couldn't see anything immediately but when the snarl became a growl and the walker above them began to kick in the air.

Beth stepped back, gazing in horror when she seen the horribly disfigured walker hung from the tree. From what she could see the walkers eyes had been gouged out, and it's jaw was merely hanging on by a thread, if even. The walker's trousers had been pulled down to it's ankles, the flesh of it's legs was non existent but it didn't appear eaten, instead it looked as though the flesh had been ripped off or cut off with a machete or an extremely sharp knife at least. It's stomach was bloated, and it seemed well fed even though it hung from a rope, on the highest tree branch. The growls and moans got louder until Daryl and Gavin caught up with them and Daryl shot an arrow at it, the pressure of the arrow hitting the walker made it collapse to the ground, and the bloated stomach burst open, all it's rotted organs and black, oily blood to splurt out at the four.

"Aye Daryl, girls look someone cut the li'l fuckers cock off", Daryl pulled the arrow from it's brain, glancing down at the walkers crotch only to find a bloody mess the walkers genitals and penis had been cut off. "Wanna go look for it?", Gavin smirked in amusement, staring at each of the group members before settling on Beth. "No? Okay then, another time maybe. Becks, you help aul Daryl there, I'm gonna keep Beth company", Becky grabbed the deer's legs seconds before Daryl argued, not trusting Gavin alone with Beth but he noticed Beth's hand instinctively go towards her knife and grinned inwardly, knowing she'd be safe.

Becky wasn't much of a conversationalist, not too Daryl anyway but he enjoyed the silence having not gotten much of it with Beth. He just glared at Gavin's retreating figure and lumbered along after them, dragging tonight's dinner along.

"So, what age are you and the old man back there?", Gavin chuckled at his lame attempt at a joke, giving up when he saw Beth wince. "Look, I'm sorry. My sister's pretty hard skinned, she usually just ignores my bad jokes. I love her though, she's all I got and Daryl, did I pronounce that right? Well he's all you got right now, so you and me got something in common", Beth nodded, appreciating his apology.

"I'm 18, and Daryl's 27. How 'bout you's?",

"I'm 19, Rebecca's 17 so we're like a little aul age sandwich, aye?", The statement made Beth giggle and Gavin took that as a compliment, "See, there we go! You got a lovely smile Beth, you should use it more. With me, I got crooked teeth and a weird upper lip so all my smiles do look like I'm gonna murder someone. But you Beth, I want your trust honest. You and Daryl seem like good people and I need to keep my sister safe", Gavin was gazing at Beth, checking out what he was dealing with.

Her curly, blonde hair was stuck to her head in sweat, though Gavin couldn't judge, they all looked like that. She had beautiful, bright blue eyes that were swarming with emotions. Her childish features held an innocent beauty that most would overlook, because her eyes showed no such innocence. She was a head shorter than Gavin, who was tall in general but to him she was tiny. Her skinny body showed undernourishment, just as his and Becky's did too but she had curvy hips and firm breasts. Gavin couldn't help but fidget with his trousers when she wasn't looking.

"I understand", Beth smiled thinly at Gavin who was watching his shoes as though they were the most interesting thing in the world, Beth felt offended in a way that he wouldn't even look at her while they spoke.

"Before all this, did you have any siblings?", Gavin's eyes held a certain sadness that Beth could relate to. _He must've lost a sibling. _Beth nodded, biting her lip to keep away the tears. "I'm really sorry, if I hadda known I was gonna make you upset so much I would've stayed back with the brick wall", Beth laughed whole heartedly at the name for Daryl and Gavin felt a sense of pride at making the girl laugh. He didn't hear his sister laugh anymore, not even at the good jokes he told and it always left them in an awkward atmosphere for days. "I really like your laugh, and your smile. Where do they usually be?"

"We've only met, and you had a gun pointed at my head and at Daryl's so I'd 'ave been crazy to laugh or smile then", Gavin laughed at Beth, and she stared at him in surprise and offense.

"Wanna know a secret?", Beth nodded "That gun isn't even loaded", Gavin pulled the gun from his belt, aimed it at a tree and fired but nothing came out, just as he'd said. Beth gaped at him in shock and he just shrugged, nodding at the house now that'd come into view. "It's a pretty little thing isn't it? Bit morbid with all the graves and stuff but nice none the less", Gavin strided ahead of Beth, turning around to smile at her. He whooped and jumped in the air while running which made Beth laugh again and Becky snorted from behind her, making her jump a bit.

Daryl nudged Beth with his shoulder, urging her to keep walking so they could follow. Beth jogged toward the house at a nice pace, catching up with Gavin and prying the door open. She walked in and set Daryl's bow against the kitchen door frame. Daryl and Rebecca manuevred through the door, bringing the doe in for safety. It's scent would attract walkers if they left it outside.

Gavin whistled appreciatively, reappearing in the hallway after thoroughly searching the house. He and Daryl made awkward small talk while Beth dragged Rebecca to the bathroom to get her cleaned up. She hadn't noticed until they stepped into the house that Rebecca and Gavin were both covered in blood, not walker blood but what looked to be their own. Rebecca lifted her filthy tank top over her head, showing Beth the severe damage that had been done to her body.

Rebecca's entire stomach was covered in blood, but where the blood had either crusted and chipped off of her skin or where the top had rubbed it off, Beth saw fresh pink scars. Vertical, horizontal, diagonal all directions they were in, Beth was horrified by it and demanded that she take off her jeans also. Rebecca was hesitant but she pulled them off slowly, revealing the exact same type of skin underneath although there were much older scars there too.

"Oh my, what happened to you?", Beth's eyes began to sting, she could feel tears prickling but Rebecca's face remained stoic while Beth fawned over her, grabbing several bottles of water they'd left in the bath and dabbing it on to cloths to clean some of the blood.

"Me and Gavin were taken, by this man who told us he'd keep us safe. There was me, Gavin and our little sister Geraldine. Instead of keeping us, and the other dozen people there safe, he cut us up and cooked whatever organs we didn't need to survive. Ate them he didn't. But my sweet, baby sister she-" Rebecca couldn't finish her sentence because tears had begun to fall from her eyes rapidly and she fell against the bathroom door sobbing her eyes out in front of Beth who couldn't do anything to comfort the girl. Although Rebecca didn't finish her story, Beth could put the pieces together and she presumed the child had been killed.

Watching Rebecca cry, Beth sat on the toilet lid and observed her. Rebecca was far too skinny, not malnourished but just skinny in general, Beth had a nagging feeling that before all this Rebecca wasn't a regular eater anyway. The girl's long brown hair had natural sun streaks through out it and Beth envied the beautiful colour, previously when she'd been chatting with Beth, she noticed Rebecca's odd eye colour, she couldn't tell if they were grey or a light blue but she had long, dark eyelashes that Beth would've died for any other time. Rebecca had plump, pink lips that were red and bloody from biting and hollow cheeks. Although the girl looked unhealthy, Beth had to admit she must've been a heart breaker before it all.

"I'm sorry, it's just. . . me and Gavin haven't talked about Tri since it happened", Beth nodded sympathetically, moving to hold Rebecca's frail body. "The man, he. . he cooked her up. Not just her insides but he burned her alive and ate her heart and lungs in front of us, and the others that were there. He kept repeating _'their time has come. Yours is next'. _We escaped from it all, six of us but only two of us are left", Reading Beth's face through her tears Rebecca answered the unasked question, "About a week ago by now, no longer I'd say",

"There's a well, 'round the back. I can get you 'nough water to have a bath, it'd be cold but it's always somethin'. You can get washed up, and I'll find ye some clothes", Rebecca nodded, allowing Beth to lift her up from the door and leave to find Daryl. Gavin was at the kitchen table, nibbling on a slice of moldy cheese. He smiled when he saw her, but she could see the fear, and worry in his eyes.

"Is Beck okay? I heard her crying but didn't want to barge in", Beth nodded, glancing around for Daryl. "Sit with me, crossbow Joe will be back in a few. Gone out for a piss", Beth stifled a laugh at Gavin's nonchalant voice and sat across from him. He offered the remaining piece of cheese to her but Beth gagged at the smell. "Aye, the moldier the tastier babe. You can't diss, what soon you'll miss hunzo",

Daryl waltzed in, glaring at Beth and Gavin together. Beth felt a pang of guilt with him so she stood up and grabbed the bin to use as a bucket. "I'm gonna go out to the well and get some water for Rebecca".

"We got perfectly fine water in 'ere", Daryl muttered under his breath, only managing to hit Beth's ears.

"She needs a bath Daryl, we ain't using up drinking water to clean ourselves. That okay with you, dad?", Beth struggled to say 'dad' but gained her confidence back when Daryl's face showed realisation. Gavin leaped from his seat at the table and yanked the bin from Beth, running out the door before anyone could object. "What's your problem Daryl?", Beth whisper shouted at Daryl who was glaring at his feet, refusing to meet Beth's eyes.

"Ye don't see what I see Beth, these people can't be trusted yet. We barely know 'em yet that boy and ye seem to be on a grand aul honeymoon. You trust 'im and he'll get ye killed. We stick togeth'r, I trust you and ye trust me", Beth snarled at Daryl who stood proud at his short speech.

"They trust me Daryl, they're good people who lost some of their own jus' like us", Gavin ran through the door again and asked Beth where his sister was, she pointed toward the bathroom and Gavin disappeared again, lugging the bin with him. Both Daryl and Beth were silent, listening intently to Gavin and Rebecca. All Daryl could hear was Rebecca's painful sobs and a softer, almost feminine voice soothing her. "I'm gonna see if she's okay",

Beth tip toed toward the bathroom, only to see the door opened an inch so that she could see what was happening. Gavin was on the floor, leaning against the wall with Rebecca sitting between his legs, her back against his chest and his arms wrapped around her as she sobbed into his hands. He had tears staining his cheeks, soaking his little sisters hair. Rebecca now wore Gavins hoodie, covering herself slightly. Beth could only see his mouth and nose when he had his hood up but now she could see his coral blue eyes and long, black hair. He had high cheekbones and hollow cheeks just like his sister did but he was evidently healthier. Beth sighed at the sight, it warmed her heart to see two people who cared about each other, not trying to destroy each other like Daryl and Merle had, or Rick and Shane who had been best friends most of their lives.

Beth knocked on the door gently to alert them of her presence and she walked in and lifted the bin from where Gavin had dropped it to comfort his sister, she poured it into the bath. Rebecca stood up shakily, signalling for her brother, and Beth to leave her in the half full bath. Gavin kissed her on the forehead, whispering something inaudible to Beth in her ear and left. Beth stayed a minute or two longer, just to make sure she was okay by herself. Grabbing a decent towel, Beth opened the door of the bathroom only to leave it on the toilet lid where she'd sat with Rebecca.

Turning around to leave Beth recognized the smell of fresh blood and glanced at Rebecca quickly. Rebecca was lying in the bath, most of the blood gone but her neck was bleeding and she was losing blood rapidly. Beth screamed and tried to lift the girl from the bath. Gavin and Daryl bursted through the door, covering their eyes for Rebecca's privacy until Beth could cover her with a towel. Gavin lifted his sister from the bath, crying silently and looked at Beth and Daryl for help.

"Get her downstairs, shove the walker off of the table and put her on it, with the towel 'cause it'll keep her clean from whatever might be on the table. Daryl, go get any clothes you can possibly find and bring them down. I'm gonna try stitch up her neck, it looks too deep to heal on it's own", Gavin sprinted as fast as he could with a seventeen year old girl in his arms while Beth grabbed more towels.


	2. Chapter 2

**There's not a lot of action in this chapter, it's about the backround of Gavin and Rebecca but please read and enjoy**

Gavin had his sister lying on the table, her face was grey and he was beginning to worry about her reanimating and killing him. Beths hand was on his shoulder a minute after he'd settled her. She pulled him out of her way and began barking demands at him, "get the first aid box", "lay out the towels" "sterilise the counter", and he did everything she said, telling himself it was for his little sister but really he just loved her voice. Beth stitched Rebecca's neck as best she could with what she had. Stitches that were there previously were now thrown to the ground, caked in blood and unidentifiable filth.

Rebecca's ragged breathing was what unnerved Gavin the most, she had chronic asthma her whole life and that alone could very possibly kill her. All he could see was her tiny chest moving up and down at a slow pace. He felt light headed and ill, collapsing against the wall and curling up in a ball. He knew Beth was saying his name and shaking him but all he could do was stare at his hands.

_Screaming. _

Gavin rocked himself back and forth, hyperventilating. His legs were pulled up to his chest, his head resting on his knees. Beth was shaking his shoulder, murmuring his name. Mentioning his sister in her words of comfort.

_Scent of cooking meat. _

Gavin bit his tongue, praying he'd taste something to prove he was still well. He could remember the taste of Gabriel Montae's son's liver, he was fed it. Told that it was beef. It tasted like beef, that's what changed him the most.

_Killian. Logan. Peter. Danielle. Catherine. Remy._

Gavin remembered the pain in his arm, the one he'd used to kill all his friends out of mercy. The man kept coming back, cutting of their limbs one by one. He was forced to watch, his eyelids had been stapled open. The mans smirk as he pulled Gavin's baby sisters fingers off one by one, painting the fingernails with her blood before sewing them into a necklace he'd put around Rebecca's neck.

_His sister._

Gavin counted each of his fingers to reassure himself he still had them. Tri was only a babe, short curly brown hair, baby blue eyes filled with innocence and pain. Short, weak body cut and torn apart, not by the beasts but by a living, breathing man.

_She was alive, laid out on a battered piece of wood like the Lord had been. The man, he scavenged for his sharpest blade using it to tear Ger's stomach open as she screamed. He pulled out her spleen, then her ependix throwing them into the fire as he smiled genuinely. He claimed it was a sacrifice that would save them all, he repeated that when he poured gasoline all over the little girl who'd passed out from the pain. Gavin watched, his mouth sewn shut and his eyes stapled open. No matter how hard he pulled his restraints, nothing budged. He watched as his baby sister was roasted alive screaming his name over and over. "Gavin, Gavin help me. Please Gavin, I love you please help me", He tried to scream out that he loved her too and she'd be better once she was gone, she'd be safe. _

_That night, after the man had served his guests his sister's organs he witnessed his sister rise as a corpse struggling to break free and rip him apart._

Gavin screamed. Beth and Daryl were now on either side of him, watching him with worry and fear. Behind them, Rebecca lay still on the table, breathing.

"My sister, my sister what's going on?", Gavin leapt to his feet and shoved past Beth roughly, accidentally pushing her into Daryl's waiting arms."Rebecca, Rebecca are you alive?", Beth hugged him from behind and Gavin felt himself fall openly into her arms. He sobbed on her shoulder as she whispered calming words into his ear.

"She's alive Gavin, Daryl and I are gon' run out to get some supplies. There's a pharmacy maybe 3 miles down the road, we can get vitamins, ventilators, pain killers and whatever she might need for her situation",

"Her situation? What situation? You said she was okay Beth", Gavin shouted viciously at Beth, alarming her slightly. Daryl stepped in between the pair and sent Gavin a cold look. Gavin had a feeling if he hurt Beth that Daryl would have his head on a spike minutes after. "Sorry. I just need to know, is she okay? What situation do you mean?",

"Her baby Gavin, she's pregnant", Gavin's mind went blank, _Rebecca's pregnant. _Gavin shook his head refusing to accept the information. He didn't believe she was pregnant, she couldn't be. He's never touched her in that way, and he never let anyone else touch her either. Not even her boyfriends were allowed in her room, between him and his father.

"Becks isn't pregnant, she can't be", Gavin turned his head to stare at his sister. She was still covered by the towel but he could see she had a white bra on and he presumed underwear. "I want to see. I need to see a bump or something, anything will do", Beth pulled the towel off of Rebecca's front. She was in a small lacy bra and matching knickers, Gavin knelt next to her, staring at her stomach. He'd noticed her hesitation at eating cooked meat recently and he could remember his mother pregnant with Ger and going through the same thing. She had a small but visible bump on her stomach, he'd noticed before but had presumed she was bloated. "She's never had sex. I know for a fact that she hasn't",

"Well she had sex, or she is carryin' the Lord's child. Now you gon' let us go or noh?", Daryl covered Rebecca back up and glared at Gavin who was struggling to process everything. Gavin nodded, letting Beth kiss his cheek and leave with Daryl. Gavin could see the pink tracksuit bottoms and white tank top set down on the counter, beside all Beth's medical equipment. Gavin observed his sister and noticed that she was still covered in blood, new and old. He left the basement, closing the metal door behind him and going into the bathroom to grab the small bin to get some water. He strolled outside wincing at the bright light, he must've been out of it awhile because last he remember it was getting dark.

There was a small well around the back that looked as if it was used for drinking but Gavin dipped the bin in for water to wash his sister. A few stray snappers were wandering aimlessly around, none of them noticed Gavin. He prayed they'd all keep far enough away from him, he had no working weapon. His pistol was unloaded, they'd run out of ammo months previous.

The bin was heavy, Gavin struggled to bring it back into the house without spilling any but he managed. Rebecca lay still, just as she had been before he'd left. Gavin grabbed one of the towels Beth had Daryl grab, and dipped it into the freezing water. Rebecca didn't react to him dabbing the wet cloth across her face, once he was satisfied she was clean he moved the towel so she was left in her underwear. Though he was uncomfortable at first, Gavin soon began to notice how fragile his sister was. Rebecca's ribs and collar bones stuck out as if she hadn't eaten in months. The thigh gap she had was scary, most girls would die to have her thighs but he would've died to see her gain an inch of weight.

Rebecca's body was clean, her new scars tinted a soft pink and the older ones blended in with only a slight disfigurement. Gavin smiled sadly, his fingers tracing over the scar on his right shoulder. Floods of thoughts were through his mind, while he dressed his sister in the clothes Daryl brought. His youngest sister haunted his mind every night, her screams and pleas most of all. Her silky, long black hair, her creamy white skin and bright, intelligent blue eyes. She resembled him in so many ways, whereas Rebecca looked like their parents. He used to take her to a park, every Sunday after church, where she'd beg him to push her on the swings until she was laughing so hard she'd cry. Rebecca was always the rebellious child, bringing home boys and ignoring their parents constantly, but even considering that she'd been close to Ger.

_"Higher! Higher Gavin!", Ger's squeals made Gavin chuckle, he pushed her higher just enjoying the sound of her laugh every time. The sun was burning his skin, Spring hadn't been this hot in years, he was dying to go get a drink but he didn't want to burst his sister's happy bubble. Her screams brought him back to reality. Gavin stopped pushing the swing and grabbed the rope, connecting the swing to the metal poles, roughly frightening Ger even more. _

_"Baby, what's wrong?", Tears pooled in Ger's eyes were released all of a sudden, he lifted her up into his arms and looking around, saw the subject of his sister's fear. A man was stumbling across the road, but he didn't look like a human. The man's face was severely cut, chunks of flesh were taken out from his face and his eyes were sunken into his face. The man dragged his feet across the tarmac, low groans and snarls were the only noises coming out from his mouth and everyone screaming at him to move was being ignored. A car hit the man, and his whole body plummeted into the windscreen. The blow would've killed any regular person in an instant but all the witnesses knew the man wasn't a regular man. Inside the car, Gavin could see the man attack the driver, a woman it looked like and the man bit into the woman's neck viciously. Gavin covered his sister's tearful eyes, pressing her against his chest tightly and continued to watch in horror at the scene._

_While Gavin was watching in morbid fascination several men and woman had approached the car and pulled the man away from the terrified woman and it wasn't until then that Gavin heard her pained and horrified wails. Ger was whispering into his chest, not loud enough for Gavin to hear so he kept watching the man, who was struggling to dive at the man and child facing him. In the blink of an eye, the man's pulling worked and he leapt on to the little girl despite all the bodies pulling him back. The man ripped the young girl's throat out seconds before he was pulled back and punched in the face by the girl's father, at least that's who Gavin thought he was. _

_When the man bit 'fathers' fist, Gavin ran with his sister in his arms. More people who looked like that man were milling around outside the church, where he'd been just over an hour ago with his whole family. Geraldine was crying her eyes out, bouncing in Gavin's arms as he sprinted down their road. He could see their neighbours, Mr and Mrs. Petrova were on their knee's outside of their house. Gavin could see Odran Matthews, the Petrova's next door neighbour sprawled out in front of them. It was unusual to see, Odran was always kicking his football into their garden and Mrs. Petrova constantly argued with his mother to send him to military school, like they had with Odran's older brother Declan. _

_The closer Gavin got, the more blood he saw. Odran was torn apart, his lower stomach was ripped open and the elderly couple had their hands inside of him, pulling out what looked like his kidney and tendrils of his intestines and shoving them into their mouths. "Whatever you do Ger, keep your eyes closed. I'm here, okay?", Ger's small head nodded, nestling itself into his shoulder. He could feel her tears pooling on to his shirt, drenching him. Mr and Mrs. Petrova ignored him as he ran past, their house was only five doors down from them. Rebecca was standing in their doorway, ushering them in quickly. _

_Gavin settled Ger on the sofa, sitting next to her with his head in his hands. Rebecca closed the curtains immediately, and pushed a chair against the door. "Where's mom and dad?", Gavin stood up shakily, looking around frantically. Rebecca grabbed his shoulder and he could see the fear in her eyes as clear as day. He glanced down at his hands and a glimpse of blood caught his attention. Rebecca's hands were covered in blood, a black oily liquid coated it. _

_"Dad's upstairs, but. . but mom she's..", Gavin knew already and broke down crying. His mom was one of those monsters that were eating Odran, that little girl and the woman in the car. Ger had curled into a ball, still wailing until Rebecca shouted for her to shut up. "Those things are attracted to noise. They hear you crying and they'll have the house surrounded. Dad's calling the sheriff to get someone down here", _

_As if on cue, David Owens walked in shaking his head in anger. He pulled his son to him in a hard hug, muttering what had happened to his mom and confirming the theory he'd made up. Gavin's dad was a military man on leave, he was due to go back in a week. Although he'd just lost his wife, and almost been killed by her David didn't cry because his commanding officer as a teen used to leave crying men and women to sleep with the rats. _

_"The sheriff is in hospital, was shot down a few weeks back so we're going to have to turn this place into a fortress for now. Gavin, bring Ger up to her room and Rebecca you start boarding up the door. Gavin will help you when Ger's settled", Gavin's dad nodded at him, and started to break kitchen chairs apart for the wood. Rebecca left to find a hammer and nails just as Gavin scooped his sister up and bounded up the stairs. He smelt a familiar scent of rot coming from under the door in his parents room but put it out of his mind, shoving the door to his own room open and lying Ger on the bed. He kissed her on the forehead and jumped the stairs, two at a time. _

_His dad and Rebecca were boarding up the door with wood from the chairs. "Dad I'll take over", Gavin shoved his dad out of his way, taking his hammer and hitting the nails with a ferocity he didn't know he had. David sat on the stairs, watching his children with a sense of pride. He'd raised them to be tough, courageous yet caring adults. _

_David mindlessly wandered toward Ger's room where he could hear her whispering comforting words to her doll. He slipped through the door and sighed in content at the relieved look on his baby's face when she saw him. David wrapped her in a hug, squeezing as tight as he could without hurting her and told her he loved her more than anything. She told him she loved him more than anything and he kissed her forehead and left, walking down to Gavin and Rebecca who stood side by side, backs against the doors._

_He admired the maturity, visible in their features. Rebecca resembled he and his wife so much that even glancing at her made him feel weak, and nobody could feel weak now. Gavin took up the appearance of his granddad more than anyone, as did Ger but he carried his fathers personality as though they were one. _

_"Gav, I want you to go out through the back and knock on all the neighbours back windows. If they don't look human, you leave. No matter what, don't try to save anyone that'll put you in danger. You only help the healthy, fit ones or children and women. If one is bleeding from anywhere on their bodies, you run to the next house without looking back. You look back, you die. Understand me?", Gavin nodded at his fathers command. "Good. Start at the O'Reilly's and remember to stay in the back garden. Bring all the survivors here", Gavin nodded again and sprinted through the door._

_Rebecca and her dad finished barricading the door, and several windows downstairs before sitting down to rest. David went into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of apple cider and three plates of lasagna for him and the kids. Rebecca refused to eat anything but sipped at the apple cider reluctantly. David shook his head in anger, if Rebecca continued her eating habits she'd never last a day out of the house. During the recent time he'd spent in the military many of his friends were coming down with an atrocious illness that caused their organs to rot and their bodies to decay but at a much slower pace. One of his close friends, Dr Jenner lost his wife to the disease but instead of mercy killing her as they had been with their friends Dr Jenner chose to experiment on her and watch her brain as the body decomposed. _

_The disease soon enough had spread abroad, killing millions of people but it was soon recognised that the bodies didn't stay dead, within a matter of hours or days in some cases the bodies reanimated as flesh craving monsters with no limits. Most of the men and women left to be with their families before the disease spread, like he had but many others who'd come down with the plague took their own lives, or begged their closest friends to do it. David himself had to take out a childhood friend, Lt. Murphy who didn't want to infect his wife or two daughters and newborn son. David understood the situation he was in and shot the man in the heart. Hours later Murphy was awake, David had found him with his teeth sunk into a young woman's neck and shot him in the head along with his victim who'd been infected._

_"Becca, I love you. I don't want you to lose your humanity in this world now. We weren't allowed discuss this before, but this disease isn't curable and you'll probably lose a lot of close friends, if you haven't lost most already. You'll need to eat, gain your strength so if it ever needs to be done you can kill. These monsters aren't human, you can't treat them with medicine, they don't understand you either. All they want is to devour you, and your brother and sister. They won't die unless you destroy the brain, shooting or stabbing anywhere else with only slow them down. They don't get tired, or out of breath whereas we do so you'll need to stock up on ventilators and begin eating and exercising. Please baby, I don't want to see any of you die", David pulled his daughter into a tight hug, as he had with Ger. Rebecca cried into his shoulder, murmuring about zombies. Gavin's head looked into the room, smiling._

_"I found 9 biters in different houses but most of the families are safe and in the kitchen", Gavin took his sisters hand and brought them both into the kitchen where over two dozen people stood, frightened and cautious. The familiar faces stood out evidently looking more comfortable in the Owen's home instead of their own. David sighed a breath of relief at the sight of so many people. He was a quiet man, caring about only his own but now it was safety in numbers._

_All the people had at least one bag of supplies per family which made David grin in satisfaction as he led them all into their living room. Everyone sat down, either on a couch or on the ground and began to discuss what was going on. David started coughing, covering his mouth and frantically trying to breathe. Gavin watched him carefully, the others too worried to notice the red substance coating his dad's hand. Gavin glared at the red liquid, looking up at his dad and meeting his eyes. David nodded and left the room, moving into the kitchen silently to not disturb anyone. The monsters sounded as though they'd multiplied by a significant amount and everyone cowered in fear, the children in particular leapt into the closest adults arms._

_"Gavin calm down, I burst a small blood vessel coughing last week it's probably just burst again you don't have to worry", David placed his hand on his son with affection in the touch. "I love you boy, and if something ever happens to me I want you to keep the girls safe, that's priority. If you all join up with another group look out for your own no matter what, okay?", Gavin returned the affectionate shoulder grip and turned to go back into the living room. "Wait no, make everyone something small to eat and drink before you go in. It'll settle them to know you care", Gavin understood clearly, now moving to make a small feast using as little as possible to feed the guests. _

_David walked up the stairs, taking his time and when he reached his own bedroom door he opened it reluctantly. The sight of his dead wife made him sob silently, hoping Ger wouldn't hear and come in. The once beautiful woman had been bit on the wrist by a 'drug crazed' maniac before church and had told him about it too late. She was already turning and he didn't have the courage to put her down. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't meant to happen like this, we were meant to watch Becky graduate and we were meant to cruelly judge Ger's first boyfriend just because she's our little angel. I can hardly look at Rebecca now dear, she looks so much like you. So beautiful and fragile. And where to begin with Gavin, he was so brave today hun. He rounded up all the neighbours he could and brought them here for protection. You would've been so proud", David caressed his wife's face, pretending it was still as soft and angelic as it had been. Her face was ashen, eyes sunk, lips in a snarling position and her head had a gaping hole where her brain was. Black oily liquid pooled around her body, protruding form her head, stomach and her leg where she'd twisted it terribly._

_David lifted his wife on to their bed and lay beside her. Pulling a pillow over his head, David scrambled to find the gun he'd hidden under the mattress after his wife had found it and protested against having one. When he found it, David wiped the tears from his eyes and curled in beside his wife with the pillow covering both of their heads. He could feel the burning pain on his ankle where his wife had bit him earlier, before he'd managed to shoot her. David pointed the gun at his head, through the pillow and shot himself._

_Ger had fallen asleep, only waking when she heard her brother trudge up the stairs holding a tray of food. He peeked his head in and smiled sadly, he didn't think she deserved to live in a world like this if whatever was happening continued, she deserved much better. The scent wafting from his parents bedroom was enough to make him gag, but he walked in anyway immediately noticing the black pool of liquid covering the cream carpet his mom had loved. He dropped the tray of food he'd made for his dad and glanced around, slowly coming to realisation of what was lying on the bed, or who would be more appropriate. _

_His parents were laid out on the bed, his mom looked like one of the man eating beasts outside but seemed oddly at peace. He heaved up what he'd eaten on to the carpet and it mixed itself in with the black blood. His dad lay curled up behind his mom, arm draped over her waste in a nonchalant way. Gavin would've smiled, thinking 'oh they're just sleeping' if not for the bullet hole right between his mom's eyes and her ghastly appearance. His dad had a bullet hole thorugh his own head, cleanly shot through his temple and Gavin just stood in absolute shock not believing the scene. Gavin's screams and cries attracted Ger, Rebecca and the other families to the bedroom door where they could just about see what had happened. Ger ran over and leapt on the bed, as she had that morning to wake them up for breakfast only this time they didn't wake up and laugh at her childish behaviour. No, they both lay still and Ger pulled their dad away from their mom and cried into his chest. _

_It wasn't until Ger pulled away did anyone notice the blood covering David's shoe and trouser leg. Rebecca, sobbing, pulled up the trousers and seen the bite mark. The other families cried with them, David and Kelly Owen's were a beautiful, friendly couple. _

* * *

Gavin's heart stopped, he couldn't hear Rebecca breathing anymore but he couldn't manage to open his own eyes. He could hear someone walking around, shuffling as though they had an injury. He assumed it was Daryl, or Beth. They'd been gone for over an hour and were due back. When he heard the growl Gavin knew it wasn't Daryl, or Beth.

Opening his eyes Gavin could see the overweight walker dragging it's legs across the tiled floor, leaving blood streaks in his path. He was mere centimetres away from Rebecca's legs and Gavin acted out of pure instinct, kicking the walker away and hoping he'd knocked him over Gavin grabbed his sisters limp body, struggling to hold her weight while using the table as a defense. When the walker went one way, Gavin went the other and luckily when Gavin was against the wall another walker fell down the stairs but quickly regained it's feet when it saw the two vulnerable victims. He could only smile faintly with relief knowing if his back had been facing the door they would've died.

Gavin shouted at the walkers to screw off but it only riled them up more and they became more ruthless with their attacks. At least six more pushed through the small door and Gavin suddenly felt cornered, not knowing which way to go seeing as the doorway was blocked by the bodies. He could feel himself droop at the weight and he sprinted right, only to have his long hair grabbed from behind by a starved looking walker. Almost all of it's bones were visible and it's mouth was smashed it pretty bad, preventing it from doing any damage with it's teeth.

Rebecca stopped breathing all together and in the moment of panic Gavin stopped running, just stared at his sister whispering "No, God no please. No Becky you're okay, we're going to live. Come on Rebecca please!", The walkers had him surrounded now and he knew that they were both going to die ungracefully. "I love you", Gavin crossed his legs and sat on the ground weeping. There was nothing he could do.

"Get the fuck up, you dumbass and fight", An unfamiliar voice screamed at him.


End file.
